Clean Language Resources

There is a vast quantity of information on the internet, including videos, books, blogs, learning cards and links to training courses. What’s below is by no means comprehensive – but if you start exploring here, you nevertheless may be launching a years’ long learning journey. Contact me at andrea@connections-at-work.com if you want tailored advice on where to begin given your desired outcome and situation.

Clean Language On-Line Resources

*Training Attention Youtube channel (free videos) – Caitlin Walker’s online short videos that are excellent for introductory level learning about how Clean Language can be used (how she has used it) in business and various other settings. An inspiring introduction to why you may want to delve deeper, particularly if you are a facilitator or coach in business. Also see the section on Systemic Modeling below for more information on these topics.

The Clean Collection – a vast online repository of written research, guidance and articles on Clean Language collected and curated over the past few decades. The current website is so small smaller than the original site which had been anchored by a visual museum metaphor on the home page.  Penny Tompkins and James Lawley do plan to upload the full suite of articles, blogs and references over time (this last comment is as of August 2023)

The Clean Language Open Community facebook page. Here you will meet the people around the world who post interesting links, events and carry on discussions about Clean Language, metaphors, and their application in various domains.

The Clean Learning company – a Clean Language training company based in England, run by Marian Way and Caitlin Walker – which delivers Symbolic Modelling, Systemic Modeling, and Clean Space Trainings.

Training Attention – a website for Systemic Modeling related resources (Caitlin Walker)

Who is using Clean Language anyway? – a Leanpub ebook by yours truly (Andrea Chiou) and Sharon Small, a small compendium of interviews of Clean Language practitioners from around the world. Additional clean themed websites and training links are listed in the appendix.

Clean Language and Symbolic Modeling Books

These books are all foundational to learning the origins, impacts, and ways to use the Clean Language questions for change work.

Metaphors in Mind: Transformation through Symbolic Modeling – – Penny Tompkins and James Lawley

Clean Approaches for Coaches: How to Create the Conditions for Change Using Clean Language and Symbolic Modeling -Marian Way

*Clean Language: Revealing Metaphors and Opening Minds – Judy Rees

Trust Me, I’m the Patient, Clean Language, Metaphor, and the New Psychology of Change – Philip Harland

How the Brain Feels, Working with Emotion and Cognition – Philip Harland

The Five Minute Coach, Improve Performance rapidly – Lynne Cooper and Mariette Coastline – Great for application in a business setting.

Mining your Client’s Metaphors – A How-To Workbook on Clean Language and Symbolic Modelling – Gina Campbell  There are two similar workbooks in the same series.

Systemic Modeling  

An audio library about Clean Language from a systems or group perspective, featuring Caitlin Walker, who brought the work of David Grove (inventor of clean) into groups and organizations.

*Caitlin Walker’s TedX  – she explains how she got involved with Clean Language (free) and started to adapt the principles and questions for at-risk youth in London.

*Open University – 6 professionally made videos on use of metaphor/clean in groups and IT shops (free on Youtube, you can google it)

From Contempt to Curiosity, Creating the Conditions for Groups to Collaborate using Clean Language and Systemic Modeling. The audio version of this book is here.  The book is narrated superbly by the author, Caitlin Walker.

Excellent series of radio interviews conducted by a Malaysian radio station with Caitlin Walker and Jacqueline Surin between 2016 and 2018. 

Moving from Contempt and Conflict to Collaboration & Accountability, interview by Svetlana Shapovaliants and Claire Edmunds, CEO of Clarify BD on the impact of Clean Language and Systemic Modelling on the company culture.

Developing Collective Trust – the art of of coaching a diverse group

How to Deal with Disruptive People without making them wrong  Excellent webinar with examples and systemic approaches for in the moment awareness and what to do in difficult situations in meetings or group settings.

Clean Feedback – mini interview with Caitlin Walker

Clean Setup – mini interview with Caitlin Walker

Clean Language in Business – mini interview with Caitlin Walker

Clean Language in Education – mini interview with Caitlin Walker

Interview on Anti-fragility and Inclusiveness with Shane Hastie at Agile 2019:

Interview with Jochen Krebs of agile.fm with Caitlin Walker on how and why agile and lean enterprises, projects and leaders might pay attention to creating the conditions for collaboration – via the tools of Clean Language  and its associated business applications:

Workshop for Agile Austin in November 2021 – an experiential, hands on learning session with Caitlin holding many tiny nuggets of learning.

DVD and Workbook Set – Not that many of us have DVD readers any more. I bought one just to be able to watch this again and again.

Clean Space 

Clean Space is yet another powerful application of some of the principles pioneered by David Grove making use of spatial relationships. It is absolutely fascinating!!! Marian Way and James Lawley paired up to provide this essential guide called Insights in Space.

Emergent Knowledge

Another sophisticated AND relatively simple way to provide a client a predominantly self-led self reflective physical and mental space of exploration to help create a network of attention on a goal.

The Power of Six: A Six Part Guide to Self Knowledge – by Philip Harland

A shorter summary article of the various processes can be found here

Cards

The Clean Metaphor Cards and the  Clean Change card  deck can be purchased at the Clean Change website.

A different set of Clean Questions can now be bought here and Systemic Modeling cards can be bought here. Buy both together for a discount here.